TA 2023 FAQ

No. Boycotting faculty meetings was a collective action to pressure the district to come to an agreement with the UTLA member bargaining team. We won.

Yes. The salary increases in the agreement are ongoing salary increases reflected on the salary table, not one-time bonuses.

Yes, after compounding over the life of the contract, the salary table will be 22.9% higher than the current salary table.

The goal is to get as much money in people’s hands as quickly as possible, while still getting the highest possible increase to the salary rate for the rest of your career. The reason for phasing it in is that it spreads out the cost so that you can get to that higher salary rate by the end, which you will have for the rest of the time you work at LAUSD. This phase-in gets to the highest rate we could get to (21%) but still gets the most money as possible into people’s pockets as quickly as possible. Accepting a lower overall percentage in order to avoid the staggered phase-in would result in a lower salary after the last increase that would cost you for every single year that you work for LAUSD. For example, some have suggested that we should have accepted 19% implemented at 7%, 7%, 5%. But with that, on average, one would lose $2,200 a year from 2025 until the end of their career (a loss that will only be multiplied as future percentage increases will be on the lower salary amount).

First the tentative agreement must be voted on and approved by members, then ratified by the school board. Once ratified, LAUSD will work on the retroactive paychecks. We can’t say for sure how long it will take LAUSD to make sure the amounts are correct, but we are pushing for it to be as soon as possible.

Yes. A new Special Ed Salary Table will be created at $2,500 above the T Salary Table. The $2,500 increase to each step of the salary schedule will be implemented after the first year percentage across-the-board increases but before the second year across-the-board increase which goes into effect on July 1, 2023.

Yes.

The necessary bargaining of any changes to the school calendar is not part of our contract bargaining. UTLA filed an Unfair Practice Charge with the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) on March 30 for the illegal change to the school calendar without bargaining with UTLA. PERB is proceeding with an investigation into the district’s illegal calendar change. PERB has ruled in cases with other school districts that making changes to the working calendar without bargaining is a violation of labor law.

We fought for an improved ratio but we were not able to win it. What we did win was a reduction in the threshold at which point an additional counselor is assigned to a school, based on the current 500:1 ratio, from 50% above the ratio to 40%, effectively lowering the maximum caseload for secondary counselors from 750 to 700 students.

The district said housing support for students is not something that should be in our contract. Between our joint March 15 Rally and Solidarity Strike, the district started moving on our demands to provide support for unhoused students as part of our agreement.

This agreement contains historic new climate provisions and creates new programs and committees to champion climate justice at LAUSD, including increased outdoor education and green space, solar panel installation and additional electric buses through unionized contractors, a Health and Nutrition Task Force, removing lead-contaminated drinking water, and more.

We successfully pushed the district to write the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) and Community Schools as new articles of the contract for the first time. As part of the contract agreement, the district must bargain with UTLA before making any changes to BSAP and Community Schools as written in the contract. This allows UTLA to hold the district to a long-term commitment on BSAP and Community Schools rather than something they can decide to drop without UTLA approval. Also in the agreement, we pushed the district to establish Community School and BSAP Steering Committees with educator and community representation for each.

No. However, non-members can fill out a UTLA membership card during the voting process at school sites and be able to vote immediately.

Voting will be in-person at each school site for 3 consecutive days – Tuesday May 2, Wednesday May 3, and Thursday May 4.

Voting will occur in-person at school sites. Members will also have the option to come to the UTLA Building at 3303 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010 on voting days from 9 AM to 5 PM to cast your ballot.